Earthquakes in Mexico: Development and Peace – Caritas Canada is collecting donations to provide emergency aid for those affected

September 22, 2017

Montréal

Montreal, September 22nd, 2017 – Last Tuesday, a powerful earthquake registering 7.1 on the Richter scale hit Mexico City, the country’s capital, causing the deaths of at least 286 people and the collapse of many buildings and infrastructure. The earthquake struck barely two weeks after a violent 8.2-magnitude earthquake hit the south of the country, greatly affecting Oaxaca state and killing at least 90 people, and the country is continuing to experience aftershocks. Development and Peace – Caritas Canada has launched operations with local organizations to provide emergency aid for those affected.

According to a recent assessment, these two earthquakes have resulted in the deaths of nearly 400 people in Mexico City, Morelos state, Puebla, Guerrero, and Oaxaca state. More than 2,000 people have been injured and require medical attention, and dozens of children are currently missing. The earthquakes also seriously damaged more than 20,000 homes, most of them deserted by their occupants, who fled the quakes in terror.

Development and Peace is working closely with a number of its partners, including Caritas Mexico, to assess how the earthquakes have affected local populations, particularly the most vulnerable in Mexico City and the mountainous areas of Oaxaca state. The organization is calling upon the Canadian public to give generously to help victims cope with this disaster. The funds raised, along with emergency funds from the organization, will be used to meet health needs and provide food, shelter, and non-food items for those most affected.

Located on a meeting point of five tectonic plates, Mexico experiences some of the strongest seismic activity in the world. Regularly struck by natural disasters, the country has made a concerted effort to protect itself against hurricanes that routinely hit its coasts.

Development and Peace is also helping those affected by the devastating hurricanes that devastated multiple Caribbean islands in recent weeks.

Development and Peace is accepting donations to support its efforts and is appealing to the generosity of all Canadians.